These simple Chalk Paint striped frames with contrasting mounts would make a lovely DIY Christmas present. Handmade presents show how much you care and let you show off your creativity.

“Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents” is the famous opening line from Jo March in Louisa M Alcott’s novel, Little Women. These days, however, we are all a bit more mindful when it comes to gifting and many of us just don’t need more new ‘stuff’. For a thoughtful, environmentally friendly and cost saving twist to Christmas gift-giving, how about suggesting presents are bought from charity stores, handmade – or both?

One of my favourite handmade present ideas is a painted picture frame. It’s a quick and easy DIY project that anyone can tackle, and makes such a personal gift. All you need to do is find an old frame – thrift stores are full of them – and some leftover Chalk Paint and a few hours to get creative!

You will need:

• Chalk Paint in your chosen colours
• Chalk Paint Brush or Detail Brushes
• Clear Chalk Paint Wax
• Chalk Paint Wax Brush
• Annie Sloan MixMat
• Frog Tape

Step by Step

Step 1:

Choose your colours before you start painting your frames. Water down the paint and mix it well so that it travels further on the brush and goes on smoothly.

Step 2:

Paint your frames in two coats of your base coat. Choose wider flatter frames with a smooth surface for best results.

Step 3:

Tear off pieces of Frog Tape and stick them down to create alternate stripes on your frame. Work your way all around the frame keeping your spacing even using the width of the Frog Tape as a guide.

Step 4:

Paint the areas of your frame not masked off with the Frog Tape in your second colour. Frog Tape has anti-bleed properties so the lines between the two paint colours will remain nice and crisp.

Step 5:

When the paint is dry remove the Frog Tape and seal your frame with a coat of Clear Chalk Paint Wax.

Step 6:

Buy some mount card to go inside your frame and paint your stripes in the opposite colourway to your frame for a cool effect.

Top Tip

Here we used two colours, but you can paint stripes in as many colours as you like. To make your gift extra special, which not find a picture or photograph to go in it?